Idea to shelf.Concept to category.
Operator-led product development for CPG founders, investors, and category-defining brands. We take ideas from first formulation through co-manufacturer build-out to national retail. We stay in the trenches past launch day.
Operators who've been in your shoes.
We don't just consult. We've founded award-winning brands, run manufacturing operations, scaled supply chains from scratch, and negotiated shelf placement at the country's top retailers. We bring that hard-won experience directly to every engagement.
11406 Ventures is a cross-functional innovation and commercialization practiceled by Juan Diego Cordón Toledano. We work across the full product lifecycle, from whitespace identification and R&D through co-manufacturer buildout and retail launch.
Based in San Diego, CA. Working nationally and internationally across functional beverages, specialty CPG, and emerging categories.
Our services, end to end.
Innovation & Commercialization
End-to-end product strategy, from category whitespace and concept framing through formulation, sensory validation, regulatory compliance, and co-manufacturing setup. Whether launching a first product or extending a portfolio, we build the pipeline that gets to shelf.
Let's talk→02Fractional Ops & Supply Chain
Embedded operations leadership: managing co-packers, ingredient sourcing, logistics, SOP development, quality systems, and production scale-up. A cost-effective alternative to a full-time Director of Operations at any stage of growth.
Let's talk→03Product Lifecycle Management
We take ownership from ideation through launch and beyond: pilot runs, shelf-life testing, packaging design, SKU rationalization, velocity analysis, and continuous improvement loops driven by real market data.
Let's talk→04Go-to-Market & Demand Validation
Channel strategy, retail positioning, and launch playbooks. From DTC pilots and regional market tests to national placement at Whole Foods, Total Wine, and BevMo. We validate demand before you scale.
Let's talk→05M&A Scouting & Advisory
We support founders, investors, and PE-backed companies through strategic acquisitions and US market entry. Full-cycle: target strategy, market mapping, confidential outreach, screening, valuation, LOI, negotiation, and diligence through closing, at the scale growth-stage and bolt-on deals actually need.
Let's talk→Work that shipped.
Sundaze: Fermented Cocktails
Founded first-to-market fermented RTD cocktail under Redbud Brands. BevNET Best New Product 2021. Launched into Whole Foods, BevMo, and Total Wine via a proprietary fermentation platform.
Picadas: Hard Aguas Frescas
Led product, ops, and GTM for culturally-driven RTD brand co-branded with Tajín®. Achieved 30% COGS reduction in under 3 cycles, driving gross margin to 40%.
Nova: Hard & NA Kombuchas
Transformed a regional craft brewery into a multi-category functional beverage platform: hard and non-alcoholic kombuchas, hard seltzers, and RTD formats. Built and led a 15-person cross-functional team across 7 locations.
Marmels: Protein Chocolate
Product innovation and commercialization for a functional confectionery brand: formulation strategy, co-manufacturer identification, and go-to-market planning around a 12g-protein dark chocolate bar.
HydrBrew: Functional Coffee Elixir
Led end-to-end innovation for HydrBrew Calm Focus, a light, hydrating 16oz RTD coffee positioned as the 2pm coffee replacement. Formulation, ingredient stack (L-theanine, lion's mane, electrolytes), co-manufacturer sourcing, and commercialization roadmap.
Natui (PromoPharma): US Supplement Launch
Advising PromoPharma on the US launch of Natui, their consumer-facing supplement brand. US market opportunity assessment, SKU-level competitive benchmarking, portfolio & format strategy (stick packs, gummies, liquid shots), affordable-luxury positioning for women 18–40, and DTC-first go-to-market plan bridging European R&D with the US supplement shelf.
Hands-on operators, not slide deck consultants.
We embed in your business and do the actual work, from benchtop R&D to co-packer negotiations to retail launch. Every engagement is built around your brand's specific stage, goals, and resources.
Discover & Define
We map your category, consumer, and competitive landscape. We validate the concept, identify whitespace, and align on a clear product brief tied to your brand vision and margin targets.
Formulate & Validate
Benchtop development, ingredient sourcing, sensory evaluation, and shelf-life testing. We work with best-in-class suppliers and labs to get your formula production-ready.
Build the Supply Chain
Co-manufacturer onboarding, SOP development, packaging design, regulatory compliance review. We build the operational backbone your brand needs to scale without breaking.
Launch & Optimize
Go-to-market planning, retail placement, velocity tracking, and post-launch iteration. We stay in the trenches through the first distribution cycle and beyond.
What our partners say.
“Juan is the rare innovation partner who actually ships product. He walked us from a napkin-sketch functional-confectionery idea to a production-ready 12g-protein bar with a co-packer on board: formulation, compliance, packaging, the whole arc. He does the work, not the deck.”
“We brought 11406 in as fractional ops while we were scaling and it transformed our cost structure. Juan was in a co-packer negotiation one day and an ingredient sourcing call the next, reading both the CPG math and the operational reality. Our unit economics moved in months, not quarters.”
“When Juan joined Nova we were a regional kombucha brand. He helped us become a multi-category functional beverage platform (hard seltzers, RTD formats, seasonal innovation) and built the cross-functional team that ran it across seven locations. He thinks like a founder and executes like an operator.”
Ready to build,
operate & scale.
Whether you're at concept stage, stuck mid-commercialization, or looking for an M&A advisor, let's talk. We work with founders, investors, and established CPG companies at every stage.
Let's build the next big thing.
From concept to category. We're in it with you.
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